The power to change your reality | Previous Challenge Entry

how it works

TITLE: The power to change your reality | Previous Challenge Entry
By Graham Keet
03/09/15
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He sat in the semi darkness, waiting for the gate to open. It was unusual that the gate was closed at times like this, but perhaps it was because he was an unusual visitor.

He could hear them, and he knew they were close. He knew too that they were aware of him being there, and this sent a chill down his spine.

It was only a matter of time – then it came; first a click as the latch was slipped by means of a long cord, then the grating of the chain as the heavy gate separating his cell from the lion cage was raised.

Now he could smell them. He forced his mind away from the reality that faced him, and focused on his hope in the One who had been with him as far back as he could remember. He felt a cold wet nose gently touch his cheek, as the huge beast sniffed him, then moved off. The process was repeated three times, as the others in the pride made their acquaintance. Soon all was quiet, but for the heavy snoring as the lions settled down for the night. Then he too drifted into a deep sleep.

The grim reality of Daniel’s situation was that he should have been ripped apart in that cage, but he knew a different reality. Like many before him, Daniel was familiar with the reality of hope in the saving grace of the God of Israel who, on many previous occasions, had saved His people from impossible situations.

It is the same for us today; if we bow down to appearances, we will often be devoured by our circumstances. We need to be aware of a new and different reality that can only be achieved as we place our hope and trust in Jesus. The Bible describes this hope as an anchor for the soul, which will enter the inner sanctuary on our behalf (Hebr. 6: 18, NIV).

If you ask most people how they understand ‘hope’, they will describe some ‘wishy-washy’ belief in something they hope may happen; but this is far from the type of hope that Daniel had. Hope is not some puny little belief, but is instead the power to change the realities that one faces every day. When the sight of the Aramean army facing them terrified Elisha’s servant, Elisha prayed that the Lord would open his spiritual eyes. It was then that the servant saw the true reality of the Lord’s own army behind the Arameans (2 Kings 6: 17, NIV).

God created us with an inner need for a powerful hope; and God gives hope to all who ask for it. There are many true-life accounts of people surviving terrible circumstances because their hope kept them alive. Two notable examples are Corrie Ten Boom, who survived a Nazi concentration camp, and a Chinese Christian, Brother Yun, who suffered prolonged torture and imprisonment for his faith.

Many people long for this form of powerful hope; or at best, they believe that God can deliver those who do have hope. King Darius displayed his immature hope that the God of Israel would keep Daniel safe in the lions’ den when he approached the den the next morning and called out to Daniel. Although he himself was not a believer, he recognized and respected the saving hope that Daniel had in his God.

Fortunately for us, this powerful hope is not dependent on our ability; for if it was, we would truly be hope-less. The Bible tells us that: “Against all hope, Abraham in hope believed and so became the father of many nations” (Rom. 4: 18, NIV). For a woman in her nineties to conceive a child goes way beyond human ability, yet Abraham placed his hope in his belief that God had the power to do as He had promised, and this hope was credited to him as righteousness.

Powerful hope could remedy many physical and mental ailments. Perhaps of all the phobias that patients are treated for, thanatophobia, or fear of death, is one of the most complicated. It is beyond human ability to avoid the reality of death; but in Jesus there is powerful, life-giving hope. It is in this ultimate life experience that Jesus offers hope to those who place their hope in Him. His words of hope to the criminal who believed are applicable to all believers:

“Truly I tell you, today you will be with me in paradise.”

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